Business organizations perform operations, transactions, and business processes using computer software applications, for example, enterprise software. Using enterprise software, a business organization can process large quantities of data distributed across many business objects data sources. For example, a business objects data source can be a computer-readable repository connected to computer systems that implement the enterprise software through wired or wireless networks, for example, the Internet. The data items can be stored in the data sources in one or more of multiple formats, for example, flat files, Structured Query Language (SQL) databases, spreadsheets, comma-separated value (CSV) files, and other business intelligence artifacts.
The enterprise software can enable users to obtain all or portions of the data items stored in one or more business objects data sources, and to analyze the obtained data items to make business-related decisions. For example, to search for data items stored in one or more of the business objects data sources, a user can specify types of data items, such as metadata associated with the data items, which the user prefers to view. The user can provide the specified types of data items to a query designer. In a design phase, the query designer can design a query (for example, an SQL query) that incorporates the metadata of the data items that the user has specified. The designed query can then be executed on the multiple business objects data sources across which the data items are distributed to identify the data items that satisfy the query. The data items can be retrieved and presented to the user, for example, in the form of one or more business reports.
If the user intends to perform a new search for additional or different types of data items relative to a previous search, then the user can provide the additional or different types of data items to the query designer. In a new design phase, the query designer can design a new query that incorporates the additional or different types of data items. Because the user may rely upon the query designer, the user may not be able to directly query the business objects data sources if and when the users wants to do so.